Five players who need to step up on Sunday

Giovanni Annatelli

11/27/2016

These five Jets need to step up against the Patriots on Sunday.

Florham Park, N.J. - The New York Jets are having a dismal season. The New England Patriots, on the other hand, are playing tremendous. Ryan Fitzpatrick continues to struggle after having a career year while Tom Brady continues to prove that age is just a number. Most people have this game as a wash, having the Patriots dominating the Jets with no problem. I said in a past article that the Jets need to be perfect in order to win on Sunday. They also need these five players to step up in order to win:

1) Ryan Fitzpatrick: This one is a no brainer. A team's quarterback either makes or breaks a game. That has been the case multiple times this season for the Jets and Fitzpatrick. Against the Bills, he threw for 374 yards and a touchdown. The very next week against the Chiefs, Fitzpatrick threw six interceptions. You see the point. The Patriots have an average pass defense, allowing opponents to throw for 252.1 yards per game. The one person Fitzpatrick needs to worry about is Malcolm Butler. Butler will most likely be on Brandon Marshall, but Marshall has the advantage. Butler is 5'11" while Marshall is 6'4". If Fitzpatrick is able to exploit the height difference and throw a couple jump balls while limiting the mistakes, then there shouldn't be a problem.

2) Brandon Marshall: Speaking of him, he's another person that needs to show up for his team. If Marshall wants to have the same numbers as last year, he needs 901 yards and 12 touchdowns in six games. It's not all Marshall's fault, as there have been quarterback struggles all season and missing Eric Decker has put a lot of the main coverage on him. Marshall has not broke 100 yards since Week Five and he has not scored since that week as well. Marshall will most likely be on Butler, so he should have the advantage on that. If Fitzpatrick is able to exploit that, Marshall should have a good day.

3) Quincy Enunwa: Being one of the top receivers for the Jets in the beginning of the season, Enunwa has since been quite. After going two straight games with over 70 yards and a touchdown, he had two catches and 32 yards. Enunwa was a reliable second option early in the season when defenses focused on Marshall and Decker. He broke out because teams had no idea of his ability. Now with struggles at the quarterback position, Enunwa has been non-existent. Now with Fitzpatrick back and a change of pace for the 3-7 Jets, Enunwa needs to show off that speed and prove that Odell Beckham Jr. isn't the only explosive receiver out of the class of 2014.

4) Darron Lee: It's not that he needs to step up, but he needs to get back into the swing of things. After missing three straight weeks with injury, he was a non-factor against the Rams, only recording one tackle and half of a sack. He started early on in the year due to injury in the linebackers and became a big part of the defense, delivering big hits. Now that he's fully healthy, Lee should be a big part in the defense that has held opponents to 85.4 yards per game.

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5) Darrelle Revis: Especially going up against Brady, Revis needs to step up. Game after game, Revis has been giving up big play to opposing receivers. He is apart of a secondary that has given 31 plays that have gone for 20 or more yards. Revis was once a top cornerback in the NFL, but has recently been falling off. People have been saying it's because of his age, but he has refuted that notion. Through ten games, Revis has zero interceptions. Brady has only thrown one this season. Revis hopes to change things on Sunday.